Til The Casket Drops
by A Reviewing Reader
Summary: "So, will you stick with me?" They both nod, and then they charge into the green smoke to assist their fellow benders, ready to face anything, no matter what happens in this war. Based on the song, by ZZ Ward, with a mix of genres...


Well, like everyone else in the fandom, I have now become a LoK fangirl. :D And yes, I'm still going to update "Maybe?" but I really wanted to write some LoK stuff.

This takes place in a future scene that hasn't been aired on the show yet, but it is my take and what might happen when they go into battle. Switches POVs, and at first it was Makorra and Asami hate, but then I just tossed that out the window and made everyone nice. (:

* * *

"I'm ready," Korra says, her voice a bit shaky as she put on her helmet that shrouds half of her face in a shield of metal, leaving only two slits for her to see from.

"Hey," Mako says, touching her arm. "You'll be fine. You're the Avatar. Your past lives have faced worse than this. You can do this."

She takes a shaky breath, not being her steady and confident self. She removes the helmet that she put on, seeing it shaking in her hands. She is quivering like a leaf, her breath deep coming in an uneven pattern, and her normally shining blue eyes are dull with fatigue.

"No, Mako. They haven't faced anything like _this_-" She gestures around at the dozens of soldiers preparing for battle. "-No one has ever been up against hundreds of chi-blockers, or a person who can take away someone's bending. That was supposed to be the Avatar's ability, no one else's! How can Amon do that? He is not the Avatar, and if he's related to me in some crazy way, than that is a _great_ surprise for me!

"I'm not ready to fight him, no matter what I said earlier. I'm not ready, I'm really not," she mutters the last few lines to herself.

Suddenly, hands grasp her shoulders, and Korra expects it to be Mako, the one who is always in control and is loyal to anyone he believes in, no matter how crazy a predicament they may be in. Instead, it is Bolin, staring at her with his expressive green eyes that usually hold mirth and laughter, but, at the moment, only contain green pools of seriousness, and under that, tinges of sadness.

"Korra, I can't believe you're talking like that. I cannot believe it. Is this the Korra who always complained in the morning about early practices and how she was never ready to go, yet kicked me and Mako's butt every time?"

She looks down, not encouraged by his pep talk. Bolin frowns, and removes one hand from her shoulder to lift her chin so that she meets his eyes once more.

"Is this the Korra that would go against me at Narook's and down five bowls of noodles without blinking, beating _me_, the Five Noodle Bowl Champion?"

Her lips tilt up at the corners, a bit pleased with his praising, but she still droops in his hold like a dying flower, no sort of energy or fearlessness driving her.

As Bolin continues his cheering up, Mako looks to the side and sees Asami in the doorway, her gorgeous raven-black hair falling in curls at her sides. She is definitely not dressed for battle. Mako peers at Korra and Bolin, but they are in the same positions as seen before.

The firebender moves toward the young heiress, startling her from behind by putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Asami gasps softly, spinning around and facing Mako. Her lips spread into a relieved smile as she throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I thought I was going to miss you," she murmurs into the crook of his neck.

Mako curls his arms around her thin frame. Burying his face in her silky, ebony locks, he whispers, "I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

She lifts her face to meet his eyes. "You won't be saying goodbye. You'll come back - I'm positive."

Mako's soft smile falls as his eyes drop to her hands. He intertwines their fingers, not looking up into her eyes. His next words are quiet, barely heard above the cacophony of the soldiers preparing for battle.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up. I mean, even if I get back - alive - I'll probably be a non-bender. I mean, the odds are that I'll have my bending taken away, and-"

Asami stops her boyfriend's babbling with a simple kips on the lips. She pulls away, a playful smile on her face. "It doesn't matter to me. Even if that does happen - which it won't, because you're too quick for those chi-blockers - you will be just like me, and nothing will change between us."

"Really?" he inquires.

She nods. "Really. Mako, just get back alive and safe, okay? That's all I care about." Another peck graces his lips, filled with love and hope. "I'll be here when you get back."

Mako smiles. "I will come back, bender or non-bender."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Bolin says, his arm slung around the shoulders of a much better-looking Korra. She appears less weary, more cheerful than when Mako last saw her.

"Nothing. Just saying our goodbyes," Mako says. A look from Asami makes Mako recall their conversation, so he amends his statement, "Er, I mean, we were just talking."

Korra raises an eyebrow at the both of them, but does not say anything. She turns to Asami, asking, "So are you coming with us into battle, or what?"

"Korra!" Mako scolds.

Asami laughs, shrugging off the Avatar's blunt question. "No, I'm going to stay here and hold down the fort, so-to-speak. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"You sure? I mean, it would be fun to knock some chi-blocker's head in, and I'm pretty sure you'd do well at it."

"No, I'm alright, thanks," she laughs.

A loud whistle calls everyone's attentions to the front of the room, where a silver garb, clearly a metalbender, stands, prepared for battle. Her curly silver hair indicates who she is: ex-Police Chief Lin Beifong.

"For Republic City!" she shouts, her voice filled with power and anger, the latter probably toward the Equalists that they are all up against.

"For Republic City!" the whole room echoes, even Asami, though she is not participating in the war.

The huge metal doors are opened, emitting a loud creaking that resonates throughout the room. An deafening cry rings throughout the crowd as everyone charges out of the room.

The only people left are Korra, Asami, Mako, and Bolin, standing in the now-deserted, silent warehouse.

"Be careful," Asami cautions, clutching Mako's hand, squeezing it one last time.

"I will. Stay safe," Mako replies. The two share another kiss, making Korra gag and Bolin have to separate the couple, saying,

"Okay, enough with the kissing! We have to go stop some evil chi-blockers and Amon, there's no time for that."

"Right," Mako says, his face matching Asami's slightly pink one. As he departs, his fingers slip through hers, the feeling of her warm skin still imprinted onto his palm. Asami smiles at the three of them, then turns and leaves through the other door in the warehouse.

"A little cheesy there, bro," Bolin comments wryly as they make their way to the edge of the warehouse, where Mako gazes after Asami appearing to be a love-sick puppy.

Mako immediately changes his demeanor to a placid and neutral one. He is on the defensive, retorting, "What? I like her, okay? This may be the last time I ever see her."

"Oh, I know." Bolin strikes a dramatic pose, while Korra follows suit by falling into his arms with a hand on her forehead in a swooning pose. Bolin continues, "Sometimes, when two people love each other, they need stupid and unnecessary 'romantic' scenes that are ridiculously cliche to appease they're hopeless romantic natures."

The two of them burst out laughing, despite the grave circumstances that they are forced to be a part of. Mako scowls at the both of them, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. He wonders, for the umpteenth time, why his brother is so immature, even in the worst situations. But as they continue to laugh, he feels the infectious chortling begin to affect him, and a smile plays on his lips; soon, he is chuckling, too.

Once they regain their composure, each of them stride forward into the wintery outdoors, leaving fresh new footprints in the snow with each step. Some said that tonight is the coldest winter night that has been seen in several years. Korra can feel the icy air trying to penetrate the thick fabric of her coat, but it has better luck at nipping at the bare skin of her face. Though she was born and raised in the South Pole, this ice seems colder and more sinister than the kind in her homeland, like an unknown evil is just waiting for her to make a wrong move and break from the ice to overtake her.

Layers of white cover the houses and buildings of Republic City, giving it the appearance of a winter wonderland, one of a child's fantastical imagination. The usually light-flooded streets are now dimly lit by frost-coated, low-burning gaslights that line the sides of the road, giving off a silvery-golden glow.

Straggly gray clouds drift in front of the thin sliver of a moon, covering an array of stars that litter the black canvas of a sky. Suddenly, quakes rock the ground beneath the Fire Ferrets' feet, and they all whirl around, backs to each other, prepared to fight.

But there is no danger, just a cloud of green smoke a hundred or so feet from them. The pieces click in Korra's mind. They all exchange glances, knowing exactly what is attacking those poor soldiers: chi-blockers.

Before they charge into the fray, Korra puts a hand on each of her friend's shoulders, making them all face her. She takes a deep breath, readying her small speech.

"Guys, if you want to get out of this now- I'll be fine with it. I wouldn't blame you, honestly."

Mako sighs. "Really, Korra?" he says. "Do you think we would have stuck through with you for this long if we wanted to get out of it at the very end?"

"I always thought we were stuck in the situation and couldn't get out," Bolin mutters.

Mako slaps him on the arm, a silent motion of "be quiet!", Bolin replying with an innocent look of "what?"

Korra laughs lightly, a smile on her face. "So, will you stick with me?"

"Until the very end," Mako promises.

"'Til my heart stops beating!" Bolin adds. "'Til I can't breathe anymore! 'Til my last day-"

"Alright, laying it on a bit thick," Korra responds with a grin, nudging him in the ribs, earning her a laugh from Bolin.

"Ready?" Mako asks the other two.

They both nod, and then they charge into the green smoke to assist their fellow benders, ready to face anything, no matter what happens in this war.

* * *

I really hope no one is out-of-character. I have a tendency to do that for stories that don't really have a purpose... -sigh-

Note: I said ex-Police Chief because in Episode 7, she said she is handing in her resignation, though I still think she is going to be a part of the war against the Equalists.

Um, so please review and tell me how I did. I have cookies - virtual cookies for each review! :3

~Ary


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